KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued an interim order, directing the suspension of fund expenditure allocated for the infrastructure development fund under the headings of the constituency infrastructure development fund.

In a unanimous decision, the Constitutional Bench led by Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha and comprising Justices Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, Prakash Singh Raut, and Anil Sinha, temporarily restrained the implementation of the budget designated by both the federal and provincial governments for constituencies and associated initiatives during the current fiscal year.

The Constitutional Bench deliberated on a writ filed by advocate Trilok Bahadur Chand, acting on behalf of the opposition, and addressed to the federal parliament secretariat. The proceedings took place on Wednesday.

In the financial allocation for the ongoing fiscal year by the federal government, a substantial budgetary provision was earmarked for this purpose. Similarly, state governments also set aside a dedicated budget intended for use by parliamentarians within their respective state assembly constituencies.

Furthermore, the Apex Court demanded written responses from both the federal government and the provincial government within a seven-day timeframe.

The Court’s statement emphasized the incongruity in the treatment of proportional Members of Parliament from the Federal Parliament and members of the National Assembly in this program. The Court asserted that this differentiation goes against established norms of development planning and accepted practices.